A student sautés food at the Cooking Club (Photo: Nakesha Campbell, Patterson Press)

Last year our Patterson High School Teen Battle Chef team won bronze at the Mid Atlantic Regional Finals.  This year, Ms. Diehl wanted to bring cooking knowledge and practice to even more students and get started even earlier.  So she started an after-school Chef’s Club.

Every Wednesday after school all students are welcome to meet at Ms. Diehl’s office and take a walk downstairs to the HealthCorps Kitchen.  There, students learn about a different fruit or vegetable each week.  They get to try new foods, or make familiar foods in new ways.  They practice knife skills and discover how to braise, bake, sear, and sauté.  So far this year they have made their own fresh tomato sauce for pasta, apple crisp, creamy butternut squash and kale pasta, butternut squash and chicken tagine, sweet potato latkes with curry yogurt dipping sauce, garlic mashed cauliflower and potatoes with cider glazed chicken, and more!

Ms. Diehl chooses recipes that include fresh, local, seasonal fruits and vegetables and informs the chefs about how and why these foods are good for them.  Our Clipper Chefs make simple substitutions, like olive oil instead of butter or sauteing instead of frying, to make the dishes healthy as well as delicious.

In February, Chef’s Club will transition back into Teen Battle Chef –a select group of students who are committed to attending weekly practice towards the final competition.  Until then, all students are welcome to come on out to Chef’s Club and get cooking!

(Photos by Nakesha Campbell, Patterson Press:)